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Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go. ~ E. L. Doctorow

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Jessica Bell Interview

Welcome back to the String Bridge Blog Tour! Today, I have my interview with Jessica Bell. I focused on more personal questions, rather than her novel, due to the sheer volume of interviewers. I wanted you to see a side of her that you can't get from her novel or book reviews. If you missed my review yesterday, check it out.

String Bridge
Debut-Interview with Jessica Bell

Milk, Dark or White Chocolate?

Milk!
Especially with cream peppermint filling.

How did your Dalmatian Holly find her
way into your family?

Ah, well, we
found a breeder on the island of Crete and chose her from a picture! The
breeder then sent her over with a ferry and bus at only 35 days old. Was
totally hit and miss. We knew we wanted a Dalmatian, so it was just a matter of
finding one. We were so lucky. Her temperament is wonderful. She is now four
years old. Here is the picture we chose her from:

Did you experience any sibling rivalry growing up?

Nope. Was
an only child until my half brother and sister came along. I only visited them,
though, so we never spent enough time together to experience any conflict.

What’s on your guilty pleasure reading list?

Haha.
Marian Keyes and Jodi Picoult.

What’s the story behind your nose piercing? Do you
have any other piercings or tattoos?

Got it when
I was 14 simply because I wanted to look tough. HA! J I have two holes in each ear, but no tatts. I’m
terrified of pain! Would love to get a small one somewhere though. My closest
cousins both have a gorgeous little dragonfly behind their ears at the base of
their hairline. That’s my idea of a perfect tattoo. I think I might do
something similar one day.

What activities do you enjoy while traveling?

Gotta see
the sights. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Can you give us a glimpse of what a typical
night-out-with-friends looks like?

I’m a bit
boring when it comes to going out nowadays. I just can’t be bothered. Ha! But
if I do go out, it’s usually with a girlfriend for sushi and a good chunk of
cake afterward J. I also love to just sit on my balcony, with my
other half, drinking wine.

I’ve
actually never thought about that before … Hmm … I really don’t know. Can I say
anyone who has major flaws and is depicted realistically?

How does the publishing experience with String Bridge differ from your
collection of poetry Twisted Velvet
Chains or any of your short stories?

Well, the
short stories are in anthologies from various publishers, so it is just a
matter of submitting them and getting them accepted. After acceptance I don’t
usually get involved. Except recently for a short story I was commissioned to
write for eMergent Publishing’s “Literary Mix Tapes,” I actually had a say in
the editing phases for that, which was wonderful.

The poetry
book, I self-published because, to cut a long story short, I believed in it and
publishers are reluctant to release such depressing material. Have received a
wonderful response for it though, so I don’t regret that move at all. And I’m
not in it for the money. I just want people to read my work.

Getting String Bridge accepted by Lucky Press
must be my proudest moment ever. Especially considering the fact that I was
about to shelve the manuscript. Janice, the publisher of Lucky Press, has been
one of the most supportive people in this whole journey. She has boosted my
confidence in ways I can’t even describe. I spent five years trying to write
like other people were telling me to write until Janice came along. She
encouraged me to be true to myself. Being true to myself is what got the book
published.

Do you have a catch phrase?

Learn the
rules, and then break them intelligently.

To learn more about Jessica and her debut novel, check out some of her links: